December is the month where all the best known boxers in Vietnam will head to Hanoi to compete in the national sports championships.

So how do you find Vietnam prospects that are willing to fight, when all the best known boxers have headed north for the festival?

VSP Promotions recently advertised that three of the Philippines top professional fighters will come to VSP Gym next month, and are also offering to participate in 4 round bouts at Ho Tram on December 10 against any Vietnam boxer brave enough to put their hand up!

So the call from VSP went out :

"We are looking for Vietnam Tigers who are willing to jump in with these professional killers from the Philippines  - JonJon Estrada, Mark John Yap and Jetro Pabustan."

We had so many that wanted to test themselves, and despite their lack of experience, there were three brave Vietnam boys who's enthusiasm and appetite for adventure shone through.

Le Hoang Hiep was one of the most fearless, and he begged for the match with Jetro Pabustan. Despite being a 51kg Flyweight and devoid of recent fights, the 22 year old Gorilla was desperate  for action, and said "I'll start training from today if you give me a shot at the Silent Operator!"

And so the match was made, "Young Blood" Le Hoang Hiep will have his date with destiny when he meets Jetro Pabustan at The Grand Ho Tram Vietnam on December 10.

Congratulations

young man, but a word of warning, be careful of what you wish for.

As they say SILENCE IS GOLDEN!

Arnel "the Silencer" Baconaje is Vietnam bound, and he has only one objective on his mind.

To defeat the man known as the "Black Hawk", Vietnam's Lightweight champion Dinh Hong Quan, and return to his native Philippines wearing his IBF belt.

Cocky Buffalo prospect Quan has successfully defended the IBF belt twice already, and whilst they have been hard fought bouts against quality pinoys, it is also fair to say that the young Vietnam boxer is still making technical improvements with each challenge.

He is also getting bigger and stronger.

But the Silencer has no interest in any of that !

As its equally fair to say that he is far more experienced boxer than the two previous opponents of Dinh Hong Quan, and is more definitely more skilful at landing meaningful punches. The Philippines boxer from Iloilo has landed 11 knockouts in his 15 wins.

This is a classic main event, where based on experience, the Philippines Arnel Banconaje is the man to beat and would start a solid favorite.

But you can't rule out the Black Hawk, as he just keeps improving and rising to each new challenge.

If you're a Vietnam fan and haven't seen Baconaje before, check out some of his bag work from late last week. Crisp and precise.

He will be looking to clip the wings of the Black Hawk on December 10.

Arnel Baconaje v Dinh Hong Quan

MAIN EVENT

12 rounds  IBF Asia Lightweight Championship

The Grand Ho Tram Strip Vung Tau Vietnam

Saturday December 10

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Mark John Yap takes his ethereal boxing skills to Vietnam on December 10 when he takes on former youth champion Pham Minh Quân.

Quân is one of many quality young fighters that train with Matrix Gym in Ho Chi Minh City, and has taken on an exciting challenge to test his game against one of the Philippines best.

The Journeyman has been in sublime form of late, performing superbly in a WBA Asia match with Charly Suarez, and followed that up with a strong win over tough Papua New Guinea boxer Junior Kauko Raka.

Pham Minh Quân v Mark John Yap

4 rounds  Super Featherweight 59kg  Exhibition

THE GRAND HO TRAM STRIP VIETNAM

Saturday December 10

He's part Russki, part Gorilla, and Ho Chi Minh City's street thug Le Hoang Hiep is headed for The Grand Ho Tram this December.

Hiep will compete in an exhibition match with top Philippines' bantamweight Jetro Pabustan, and "Young Blood" is looking forward to the opportunity.

When asked about the task of taking on an internationally performed boxer with 31 wins and a 4kg weight advantage, the Thug Life inspired character was unrestrained in his typically psycho style:

"Tell that boy I'm sending him home to his momma in a zipped bodybag!"

Wow - confidence is definitely KING !

Jetro Pabustan v Le Hoang Hiep

4 rounds  Bantamweight exhibition bout

The Grand Ho Tram Strip Vung Tau Vietnam

Saturday December 10

@ The Grand Ho Tram Strip in Vietnam !!!

Saturday December 10

Watch all the action live with many of Asia's best :

_{Vietnam - Nguyen Van Hai and Dinh Ho}ng Quan

Uzbekistan  - Olimjon Nazarov

Indonesia  - Defry Palulu and Paisal Panjaitan

Philippines  - Arnel Baconaje, Mark John Yap, JonJon Estrada, Charly Suarez and Jetro Pabustan

Thailand - Jakrawut Majungoen and Anuson Thonglueang

South Korea - Chan-Ho Song

Who said blondes have more fun ?

Pinoy power is heading to Vietnam.

And it's SMILE POWER!

We got Mark John Yap, Jetro Pabustan, Charly Suarez, Arnel Baconaje and da baddest of da baddest "the Wolverine" JonJon Estrada!!!!

THE GRAND HO TRAM STRIP  VIETNAM

Saturday December 10th

FORMER Olympian and current World Boxing Association Asia super featherweight king Charly Suarez takes on Indonesian Defry Palulu on Dec. 10, 2022, at The Grand Ho Tram Strip in Vung Tau City, Vietnam.

The 34-year-old Suarez has already become one of the best Pinoy fighters despite only being a pro for just four years. The former amateur standout is dominating the local boxing scene by beating fighters like Marjohn Yap, Tomjune Mangubat, Delmar Pellio and recently Carlo Magali.

Suarez has had an impressive year thus far, winning all his in dominant fashion. He started the year with a 12th-round technical knockout of Mangubat, followed by a one-sided unanimous decision beating of Junny Salogaol. He then outclassed crafty veteran Yap by unanimous decision and also defeated tough Magali also by a unanimous verdict.

Suarez is now finally ranked in the World Boxing Council at No. 37 in the super featherweight class.

The 31-year-old Palulu, in the meantime, is on an impressive run, winning 10 of his last 11 fights. He hasn’t been beaten in six years. The last time he tasted defeat was when he lost by split decision to Jason Butar Butar.

Palulu has fought the likes of former world title challenger AJ “Bazooka” Banal and Isack Junior. He’s coming off a unanimous decision over Asad Asif Khan last June 12.

Suarez is 13-0 with seven knockouts, while Palulu is 25-2-2 with 14 knockouts.

Also in the same card, Arnel Baconaje (15-5, 11 KOs) challenges hometown bet Dinh Hong Kwan (9-1-1, 4 KOs) for the latter’s International Boxing Federation Asia lightweight belt.

Quality match up at 130 between RoyRoy Sumugat and Ivor "the Killer" Lastrilla.

The Killer showed enterprise and even dominace early in this match, with Big Roy Sumugat keeping a cool head and probing for opportunities as the fight progressed.

D'Hammer was really composed and strong at the end of this one, and showed he has plenty more great performances to come. Lastrilla was impressive in parts of this contest to, he sets up some combinations on southpaw Sumugat that were really thoughtful.

This Sumugat v Lastrilla match up was really good to watch !

The Grand Ho Tram in Vietnam has grand plans !

Saturday December 10  

Full fight card coming soon, but already signed :

Vietnam - Dinh Hong Quan

Philippines - Arnel Baconaje

Indonesia  - Defry Palulu

Philippines  - Charly Suarez

Uzbekistan  - Olimjon Nazarov

Vietnam  - Nguyễn Văn Hải

Indonesia  - Paisal Panjaitan

and will soon include top fighters from South Korea and Thailand.

This end of year festive event at The Grand Ho Tram wil also give young Vietnam hopefuls Phan Minh Quân, Le Hiep and Thai Hoang Huy the chance to share the ring with Philippines idols Mark John Yap, Jetro Pabustan and the Wolverine JonJon Estrada.

Indonesian champion Defry Palulu (25-2) takes on the Philippines' champion Charly Suarez (13-0) at The Grand Ho Tram Strip in Vietnam on Saturday December 10th.

This is ONE versus ONE where the thudding style of the Indonesian southpaw will be looking to disrupt the plans of the livewire Suarez.

This is already shaping as a phenomenal card, where the main event sees the Vietnam lightweight champ Dinh Hong Quan (9-1) will defend his IBF Asia title against top class pinoy Arnel Baconaje (15-5) in what is as close to a 50/50 match as you will ever likely see !

Many great bouts at the BATTLEFIELD, and there were also some stand out performances by boxers that were on the wrong side of the judges scorecards. Eduardo Mancito resumed from a break, and looked in outstanding shape for his match with hot Lightweight prospect Jerald Into.

Mancito had some significant issues with the height and range of Into, and started to solve these to a degree late in the match. The Nightmare  did some good work in this encounter, and will no doubt be vastly improved by meeting a shorter opponent and back in his usual weight class for his next assignment.

Charly Suarez and Carlo Magali go at it for WBA Asia and RP national title supremacy!

Suarez will return on December 10 in Vietnam to close out the year, taking on his first foreign challenger.

Indonesia’s best fighter and former WBC champion  Defry Palulu has signed on to fight Charly Suarez in Vietnam next month.

Palulu was on a shortlist of a number of national champions to fight Suarez, but interestingly, was the only one to call the King's Warrior out.

The Indonesian champ bears the ring name "The Unseen Hammer", which bears testament to his deceptive southpaw style and thudding hands. Palulu was robbed of his WBC title when his country closed for the pandemic, and he was unable to defend his belt. He has since resumed with four straight wins, and boasts the excellent record of 25 and only 2 losses, the most recent being a contentious split decision many years ago.

The Unseen Hammer has also had success in the hurt department, having knocked out 15 of his opponents !

The match between Charly Suarez and Defry Palulu will take place at The Grand Ho Tram on December 10, and is Suarez's first foreign assignment in the pro ranks.

The Indonesian champion represents a mouth watering match up for his initial foray, as Palulu has been very dismissive of the amateur style and lack of firepower that he perceives from Suarez. He also recognizes the skills in the unbeaten pinoy, but believes that he will cut the ring on Suarez far better than previous opponents.  Further, he has stated that Suarez does not punch hard enough to worry the top 10, and he will not only damage his world ambitions, he will do damage to the Philippines freak talent.

Contract signed, done deal, December 10 !

https://thethao.vn/vo-thuat/boxing/nguyen-van-hai-chuan-bi-dau-vo-si-indonesia-bat-bai-tt59326.html?fbclid=IwAR0GX0CHB_aJLNjvf98kGrKaoLvqecAkZ_KRBSM-3iQZ0GUhbiAnxZB48Mw

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https://vietnamnews.vn/.../ibf-asian-champion-quan-to...

DINH HONG QUAN v ARNEL BACONAJE

IBF Asia Lightweight title

LIVE FROM THE GRAND HO TRAM VIETNAM

Saturday December 10

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Congrats to Victory8 fighter Linn Sandström, who was successful in her WBA assault in York Hall London just moments ago. The Swedish boxer first appeared as a novice performer in Vietnam at Victory8 in 2018, where she challenged national champion Nguyễn Thi Tam at Nguyễn Du Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City.

Sandstrom has since forged a pro career and showed continued improvement, winning in Australia, the Philippines, Costa Rica and tonight's bout in England. Her WBA win over Croatian Sara Marjanovic was Linn Sandström's 7th in the paid ranks, and she's just getting started !

GO SANDSTORM!

Vietnam's Lightweight champion Dinh Hong Quan will face Philippines Arnel Baconaje at the Grand Ho Tram Strip for the IBF title on December 10. This will be as significant a main event as the country has ever seen, where incumbent champion Dinh Hong Quan (9-1) faces his sternest test to date against the skilful pinoy boxer.

The Vietnam rising star has the size advantage, yet Baconaje has bowled over some of the Philippines' biggest and best scoring, 11 knockouts in his 15 wins to date.This is a massive main event with both fighters having the genuine attributes to claim the IBF prize.

Dinh Hong Quan will join the Manny Pacquiao training camp in preparation for his December assignment, whilst Baconaje is currently in Japan working with pound for pound star Naoya Inoue. The match between Dinh Hong Quan and Arnel Baconaje will take place at The Grand Ho Tram Strip in Vietnam on Saturday December 10th.

Fight card and ticket information coming soon!

Have to love the ring name! Defry Palulu is Indonesia’s best fighter and is IBF approved.

He has a 25 win and 2 loss record and was a WBC regional champion before the pandemic robbed him of that title. So he's not happy!

Congratulations to the Philippines fighters that will be competing at the Grand Ho Tram in Vietnam on Saturday December 10. Arnel Baconaje and Charly will contest IBF titles in two of the main event matches.

Baconaje will take on incumbent lightweight champion Dinh Hong Quan, a Vietnam fighter that has recent history with pinoys Delmar Pellio and Jules Victoriano. Charly Suarez is expected to have a confirmed opponent soon.

Indonesia’s best fighter has given his take on the recent deeds of Charly Suarez, and also his prospects of matching up with the King's Warrior in the near future: "I am aware that I am on a shortlist of fighters for the IBF title in December with Suarez, but if he is serious about being world champ, then pick me - as I am his ticket !

From what I hear, nobody wants any part of Suarez  - the Aussie, the Japan, and even I'm hearing American!And from what I see, I am the ONLY guy to call this amateur out, to expose him in the pro ranks.

But I will make a prediction, that based on what I have seen recently of Charly Suarez, not only will I damage his hopes of a world title, I will do some serious damage to his body also. The guy has zero power, so I don't see how he will compete with a top ten fighter "

Defry Palulu is a former WBC belt holder with a record of 25 and 2. He has encountered only one loss in the last 9 years, a controversial split decision defeat that he later avenged. Charly Suarez will contest the IBF Asia title at The Grand Ho Tram Strip in Vietnam on Saturday December 10th.

Big thrill to see "the Ferocious" Carlo Magali back in the ring at Sunday’s BATTLEFIELD. Carlo is one of the most rugged fighters in Philippines boxing, and he turned out in career best shape for his stoush with Charly Suarez in the main event.

Magali started very strongly and in fact edged Suarez in round 3, but it became obvious that the King's Warrior was not going to risk trading with the battle hardened warrior.The match up turned out to be stylistically wrong for Magali, but he certainly showed the physical menace that would really hurt a less lateral opponent than Suarez. We really look forward to The Ferocious appearing again soon, and watching him bust up whatever is in front of him!

*story courtesy Daily Tribune

Utilizing his all-around skills, Rio Olympics veteran Charly Suarez kept his unbeaten record intact with a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision win over rugged Carlo Magali over the weekend in Sucat, Parañaque. Suarez was defending the World Boxing Association super-featherweight title and likewise vying for the Philippine crown and easily got the job done by earning scores of 119-109 (twice) and 118-110 on the judges’ scorecards.

The crowd at the Flash Grand Ballroom of the Elorde Sports Center rallied behind Magali but Suarez had no trouble keeping his foe at bay with shots fired from long range. The victory raised Suarez’s record to 13-0 with seven knockouts and the Magali conquest put him on line for a quick return to the ring on 10 December in Vietnam.

“We are fast-tracking his climb to the world ratings,” Suarez’s chief trainer and longtime national team pal Delfin Boholst. Charly’s ripe (for a title shot) because of his age and his wealth of experience (fighting in the amateur ranks),” Boholst added. Though already 34, Suarez has fought extensively and once faced Vasyl Lomachenko, now regarded as one of the world’s finest fighters.

Hot on the heels of Charly Suarez's clinical WBA and National title win yesterday, the champion's focus now moves to his next assignment. The King's Warrior has been approached to fight in Vietnam in December, and the Philippines' most "ducked" fighter is looking to take his first international scalp on foreign soil.

It seems at this stage, the US, Australia and Japan have stamped Suarez papers as "too dangerous", and given his amateur and pro record, this is hardly surprising! So the search is on for top quality guns that are ready to be lit up by Suarez.

One name that interestingly resurfaced recently was that of a fighter who apparently still holds an opinion on the Philippines star. Charly Suarez was recently made subject of a “call out” by Indonesia’s #1 fighter Defry Palulu, a hard hitter with a 25 and 2 record.

Palulu is classed as one of his country’s best since the mighty Chris John, and the heavy handed southpaw was meant to defend his WBC regional belt against Suarez back in 2020, a match that was cancelled due to the pandemic. At the time Palulu was confident of dismantling the fledgling pro Suarez, and to this day, he still remains optimistic about the task:

Charly Suarez has done very well in his career so far, but I feel I am now a stronger fighter than i was back in 2020, and I just know he hasn’t yet fought someone of my ability. I am hearing that he is the best in Asia at 130, some say even in the world, but I know that I have the power to hurt him and slow his fast hands. "I have been in with many "amateur style" boxers before, and it always ends the same way for them!” warned the man aptly tagged “the Unseen Hammer” !!

Defry Palulu is unbeaten in three fights since returning from the pandemic, and has experienced only one loss in the last 9 years - a split decision loss that he later avenged. VSP Promotions will look into this guy -  if the quotes are real, and he's ready to walk the walk, this could be interesting!

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Champion Philippines boxer Mark John Yap and Team Raka trainer Ephraim Montoru meet after the historic bout between PNG and Philippines.

What was the topic they discussed? " Mark, which one in your opinion is better?

The San Miguel or riding the Red Horse? "was Ephraim's opener !

Papua New Guinea's very popular Junior Kauko Raka enjoys a meal with other competing boxers after yesterday's huge BATTLEFIELD card in Parañaque Manila.

Raka put on a stoic display in a cracking undercard fight with Philippines champion Mark John Yap.

Junior Raka pressured Yap throughout, winning the admiration of the crowd.

This was the first match for the PNG PRODIGY in almost two years, so expect to see a vastly improved fighter in future bouts.

And our advice is that anyone that is thinking of facing Raka ,?  

WATCH OUT !  You are in for one hell of a fight!

PNG PRODIGY IS ON THE MARCH !

Despite a slow start, RoyRoy Sumugat wore down a very good looking Ivor Lastrilla.

Lastrilla appeared to outbox Sumugat in the opening sequence, and he looked to be in career best form. He definitely created problems for RoyRoy, and there are wins in store for this smart boxer without doubt. But it was Sumugat to the fore in latter rounds, with his accuracy and nice combination punching earning him the stoppage.

After the gunshots have fallen silent, and the smoke has cleared !

Huge performances tonight from Mark John Yap and Junior Kauko Raka.

Yap showed all his boxing skills and put an exclamation mark on why he has been a multiple title holder. This "Journeyman" has a lot left in the tank, and he looks invigorated at 130lb.

Raka was a junkyard dog, constantly pressing the champion Yap onto the back foot. Junior Raka showed understandable signs of ring rust, but it was a wholehearted display that won the plaudits of Philippines fans, and was sure to make PNG proud.

Make no mistake, Raka will derive huge benefit from tonight's performance and he will be a menace to top fighters in the division.

Top quality bout. Bravo !

Eddie Alcoba jr Wins by KO